PERFECTIONIST director Michael Mann doffs his fedora to Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in this beautifully-crafted biopic.
Public Enemies surveys a volatile period in America’s history when a group of hoodlums ran rings around J. Edgar Hoover and his fledgling FBI.
The battle of wits between the criminal fraternity and the police continues Mann’s fascination with men operating on the fringes of the law, echoing his work in Heat and Miami Vice.
Here, however, there’s a noticeable imbalance in the screenplay, co-written by Ronan Bennett and Ann Biderman. While Dillinger is swaggering and charismatic, brought vividly to life through Johnny Depp’s eye-catching performance, his chief pursuer – agent Melvin Purvis – is cold and lifeless. As portrayed by Christian Bale, the lawman is mechanical and almost devoid of emotion.
Mann begins at the Indiana State Penitentiary where Dillinger (Depp) and associate “Red” Hamilton (Jason Clarke) spring a number of their mates from the slammer. The gang head west, relieving the banks of their savings, to the embarrassment of the boys in blue.
Hoover (Billy Crudup) pledges to capture America’s first public enemy number one, enlisting tenacious agent Purvis to lead the nationwide hunt.
While Dillinger’s gang continues to hit the headlines, especially when the sociopath Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) joins its ranks, Dillinger makes the fatal mistake of falling in love with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard).
“Sooner or later, she will go to him or he’s gonna come for her,” grins Purvis, preparing to use Billie as bait to flush Dillinger out of hiding.
Public Enemies masterfully evokes the era. Violence is brutal, but used sparingly to devastating effect.
Depp brings a roguish charm to his role, kindling smouldering screen-chemistry with the luminous Cotillard.
We experience a palpable tinge of sadness as Dillinger walks to his doom with a fateful visit to the Biograph movie theatre to watch the Clark Gable gangster flick Manhattan Melodrama.
“If I can’t live the way I want, then at least let me die when I want,” says Gable’s character, Blackie.
Dillinger lived the way he wanted, and died among the citizens to whom he became a folk hero.
Damon Smith